Mailing card



Patented Nov. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to cards or similar printed sheets, and particularly to a type adapted for use by hotels, banks, oil companies and other business houses for transmission by mail to their customers or to others, and usable by the recipients for identification for the obtaining of credit or for numerous other purposes.

It is an object of the invention to provide a card or sheet of this character by which addressing and mailing is greatly facilitated and rendered economical. It is a further object of the invention to provide a card in which a detachable portion thereof is capable of easy separation from the main body of the card, which separated section is then rendered usable by the recipient for identification for the obtaining of credit or for other purposes.

The invention additionally contemplates the positioning of such separable or detachable portion of the card with respect to the remainder of the card in such a position that the detachable portion forms a corner for the complete card, with two edges of such corner defined by tear or separation lines, thus facilitating the removal of the detachable section from the remainder of the card.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a protective cover or sheath for the detachable section of the card, which protective sheath is easily applied to the detachable section; which will cover and protect such section while the card is contained in an apertured or window envelope; which will facilitate the tearing of the detachable section from the body of the card, and will thereafter form a cover or protective means for enclosing the separated section of the card while it and its covering is contained in a wallet or in the pocket of the user.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth, in view, I have devised the particular arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a face view of a mailing card made according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view on a reduced scale, of a portion of the card showing how the detachable portion is removed;

Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the card, showing how the protective sheath is fitted in place preparatory to placing the card and its sheath in a mailing envelope;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the sheath Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows. and

Fig. 6 is a face view of a mailing envelope with the card and sheath contained within the same.

Referring to the drawing, l indicates the body of the card, which is preferably composed of cardboard or other suitable sheet material. The card includes a detachable section indicated at 2, which has two of its edges, indicated respectively at 3 and 4, meeting at 5 to form one of the corners of the card. The two remaining edges of the detachable section are defined respectively by tear or separation lines 6 and 8 so that by tearing along these lines 6 and 8 the detachable section 2 will be readily removed from the remainder of the card.

The detachable section 2 is preferably made substantially rectangular in shape with its edge that is defined by the line 6 disposed substantially parallel to the edge 1 of the card, while the top edge of the detachable section, defined by the line 8, is substantially parallel to the top edge ll) of the card.

The portion of the card that is designated as Advertising Space in the drawing, may be imprinted with advertising, greetings to customers, messages or other information intended to be transmitted from the sender to the recipient of the card. The detachable portion indicated at 2, may be in the form of a credit or identification card to be used by the recipient for a given period of time to obtain credit or other accommodation.

The card I is usually mailed out to selected individuals to whom it is addressed as indicated at 9, the name and address of the particular person to whom the card is sent being placed on the detachable portion of the card. Upon receipt of the card, the recipient will tear off the detachable portion 2, by tearing along the lines 6 and 3 and will retain this detachable portion, which bears his name and address, placed thereon by the sender, and use the card for future identification purposes. Since the detachable portion 2 is located at one corner of the entire card, the tearing off of this portion is facilitated, as it requires severance only along the lines 6 and 8.

For the protection of the detachable portion 2 of the card, a protective cover or sheath, shown at H in the drawing, is provided. This cover or sheath II is shown in Fig. 4, wherein it will be seen that the same consists of a folded strip of thin and flexible transparent material, such as Celluloid or plastic. The strip is folded or doubled over on the line [4 to provide the two fiap portions l2 and I3 which respectively overlie the opposite faces of the detachable section 2 of the card and conform in shape and size thereto. The flap portion I2 may be turned over at the top, as indicated at I6 to provide a downturned locking flange shown at I5.

As just explained, the sheath II conforms in size and shape to the detachable section 2 so that when the sheath I I is fitted on the card and is in position over the detachable section 2, as

. shown in Fig. 3, it will cover and protect this portion of the card and will have two of its edges lying closely adjacent to the severance lines 6 and 8.

In sending the card out through the mail, the name and address of the intended recipient is written, printed or otherwise produced on the detachable section 2, as indicate-d at 9. The sheath I I is then slipped into position on the card so that it straddles the lower edge of the card which then becomes sandwiched between the flaps I2 and I3. The sheath is so fitted on the card that it covers and protects the detachable section 2. Thereafter the card, with the sheath fitted on the same as above described, and as shown in Fig. 4, is placed into an envelope of the window type shown at H in Fig. 6. Thewindow or cut-out I3 of the envelope is so positioned that it exposes the name and address 9. Since the sheath II is fitted over this portion of the card, it will be apparent that the portion of the card, bearing the name and address exposed through the window opening I8 in the envelope, is protected against defacement while being handled in the mail.

When the card is received by the addressee and is removed from the envelope I? together with the sheath I I, the detachable section 2 may then be very easily detached while the sheath remains in position, since the edges of the sheath adjacent to the lines 6 and 8 act as guides in the severing operation, and the sheath stiffens the detachable section and permits it to be very easily separated from the remainder of the card while remaining in the sheath.

The detached section of the card and the sheath fitted on it may be thereafter carried in the pocket or wallet in the manner of the conventional identification cards and will be thus kept clean and smooth.

The improved mailing card requires only the a-ffixment of a single name and address preparatory to mailing. The name and address, applied at the point 9 on the detachable section of the card, not only serves as identification for the user of the detached section, but serves as the name and address for mailing purposes.

It is obvious that a card of this character will have many uses, such as by hotels, oil and gasoline companies, banks and business houses, to whom the addressing of many cards, envelopes and letters usually requires considerable expense. Thus, where a single addressing of a card of this character and the slipping of the sheath over the same and insertion of the card and sheath in an envelope is all that is required to provide the customer with a usable identifying card, mailing expense will be considerably reduced.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A mailing card consisting of a sheet having a detachable section, said section having two of its edges defining a corner of the card, the two remaining edges of said detachable sections being attached to but being defined by tear lines which permit the detachable section to be separated from the body of the card when torn along said lines, and a protective sheath fitted over said detachable section while said detachable section is attached to the sheet, said sheath consisting of a folded sheet having its fold extending along one edge of the detachable section, the sheath conforming in size and shape to the detachable section and permitting the detachable section to be separated from the remainder of the card while said sheath remains in place over the said detachable section.

2. A mailing card comprising a sheet having a corner portion forming a credit or identification card and detachable from the sheet on severance lines extending parallel to two edges of the sheet, a transparent sheath fitted over one edge of the detachable section and having two fiaps respectively extending over and covering the opposite faces of the detachable section, said sheath having adjacent angled free edges substantially mating with adjacent severance lines of the sheet and constituting a tear guide for aiding in separating the detachable section from the sheet and thereafter forming a protective covering for the detached section.

3. A mailing card as provided for in claim 2, and including an enclosing envelope for holding the sheet and its attached detachable section and the sheath fitted thereover, said envelope having an open window in its front, a portion of the sheath being disposed behind said window and acting as a protective element for the face of the detachable section disposed in back of said por tion of the sheath and exposed to view through said portion of the sheath and through the window in the envelope.

4. A mailing card having a detachable section forming a corner of the card, said detachable sec tion being printed to indicate that it constitutes 2 an identification for the bearer, said section having weakened tear lines defining a plurality of its edges and on which it is adapted to be separated from the remainder of the card, and a sheath fitting over said detachable section, said sheath consisting of a rectangular transparent piece of sheet material folded on itself to provide three open sides and being of a size so that in its folded condition a plurality of its edges are located closely adjacent to the tear lines when the sheath is fitted over the detachable section, said sheath remaining in place over said section and having those of its edges which are situated close to the tear lines constituting an aid in tearing the detachable section along said tear lines to thereby separate it from the body of the card.

JOSEPH M. GUTTMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Date 

